Advent Feast at the Basilica

The square of the Basilica is going to be the most spectacular and eventful meeting point during the holiday season, from 27 November to 2nd January.

The square of the Basilica is going to be the most spectacular and eventful meeting point during the holiday season, from 27 November to 2nd January. Every evening the monumental façade of the Basilica will be illuminated by a 3D video mapping. This year for the first time hot and sweet-smelling delicacies will line up all along Zrínyi street. As in the previous years children can enjoy the 200 m² large ice rink and join the skating courses during the weekends.

This year again Saint Stephen's Basilica is expecting its visitors to the square with the largest and most spectacular visual attraction of the Advent period in Budapest. Every half an hour after dark colourful Christmas themed videos will come to life on the 37×28m large façade, providing a magical setting for a winter walk with the festive lights of the square and the Inner City. Families and groups of friends will find there various programmes, an ice rink and several charitable events. In the "Hunger for Love" bakery set up by the Hungarian Interchurch Aid volunteers and visitors will prepare honey-cake hearts together with special surprise guests supporting the charity to thank the donors for their generosity.

In the fair visitors can browse through the unique hand-made gifts at the stands of almost 80 vendors, or taste the most popular treats of the festive season along with the gourmet novelties of the year. At the fairy tale houses in front of the Basilica, the fair's visitors may choose between countless carefully pre-selected handcrafted gifts of high standards, while the Advent Feast will offer a similarly large selection for the gourmet guests. Saint Stephen's Square and the surrounding area attract visitors all year round, and with the start of winter season not only the fair's vendors, but also the well-known establishment of the quarter's bar and pub scene will surprise their guests with intriguing novelties.

In addition to the fabulous wooden houses on the square, craftsmen's stalls will line up on the way connecting Bajcsy-Zsilinszky and Hercegprímás Streets, and the Christmas fair will also expand toward Zrínyi Street. From Sas Street to Széchenyi Street the coolest Hungarian food trucks and street food vendors will be present such as Zing Burger, KolBice, BudDog, Paneer, MexKitchen, Balkán Grill, Befaló Bill, DiVino and Korhely. More than 30 exhibitors will provide food meant to be eaten on the street such as pancake, grilled sandwich, soup, "new wave" flat bread, lángos, pljeskavica, Italian sweets and salty titbits – to seduce the employees of the surrounding office buildings from the boring daily menus and to treat those who will come here to check out the greatest street food extravaganza of the holiday season. On 1st of January we would like to celebrate the New Year by crowning the 35 days of the fair with Lentile Day. The organizers will prepare with steaming hot dishes and hot drinks for the occasion on Zrínyi street and on the square as well.